Reunion, September 2019

I was so lucky to be able to attend a reunion of the Soutar cousins in Florida a couple of weeks ago. Mike conceived the idea, issued the invitations, lined up some activities, and hosted the gathering at his home in Bradenton, FL. About half of those invited attended, and we all had a great time getting caught up and remembering previous gatherings.  For most of us, it had been from 35-50 years since we'd been together - we were teens then, and now we're grandparents!

The timing was perfect - there had been a thunderstorm and lots of rain the day before I arrived, so the humidity and temperature were pretty tamped-down for the duration of my visit.


For me, one of the highlights was the beautiful Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island, a barrier island off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico. The water was insanely warm, and so much more buoyant than the fresh water in the pool at the gym here in Sacramento. Mike's cabana is the navy-striped one near the water.

There were many whole limpets and other shells at the waterline, and I brought a few home to show my granddaughter Emma. (She "fed" them to her plush puppy.)

The dolphin and sunset cruise on Saturday evening was so much fun! We got to the marina very early and stood around for a while, but once on the boat, the guide was informative and entertaining.

We saw lots of Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, including mommas and babies, and some spectacular leaps. I'm sure the boat crew thought they were calling them with their incessant horns, whistles, and railing-banging - I just thought it was noisy.




We pretty much had the entire boat to ourselves. There was one family of three who also enjoyed the cruise. They had an adult son with autism, and he enthusiastically responded to the leaping dolphins whenever they made an appearance off the bow. We talked a little, because of my sister, Mary, and I hope I was able to ease some of the awkwardness they felt at being on the boat with a family party.








As sunset approached, the boat cruised to the Gulf side of the island for a view of the sunset. We waited for the green flash, but I don't think anyone saw it.







And what would a reunion of Jamaican cousins be without Jamaican food? We had Rice and Peas, chicken, and I can't remember what else on the first night. Debbie and Mary completed a cooking marathon, making boiled yellow yams, Johnny cakes, Festival, salt fish and ackee, and cutting up fruit for breakfast the following morning.





Everyone seemed to have a great time chatting, singing, swimming, and eating. We exchanged contact information, and several said they want to do it again next year. That would be nice.

Memoir, continued

I thoroughly enjoyed the memoir class last spring.  I didn’t know there is a memoir genre, which is different from biography or autobiography. I didn’t know it’s expected to alter the narrative to make the story better, to protect subjects, and to add personal reflection - in fact, the reflection is key. No one can tell you how YOU experienced the event, or that your recollection of it is wrong because it’s not how they remember it.

I learned that writing for readers is not the same as speechwriting, and that there are scene-setting techniques that can help the reader picture/feel/understand the story you are telling. I learned to learn from what classmates shared, to accept the instructor’s feedback, and to let go of my superiority. I learned I have very good stories, and need to learn how to tell them in memoir format, which includes what I learned from the incident, my feelings about the incident, and how it affected my development or perception of the situation and people involved in the incident. I am trying to enroll in the seminar again this fall, but there is an error on the web site - the class is not listed! I’m waiting for Renaissance staff to get back to me with a solution or a workaround. 

In September, I’m going to a Soutar cousins reunion in Florida. I hear there will be about 25 of us. I’m planning to ask lots of questions, take many notes and photos, and come back with much fodder for new memoir essays. I’m taking a notebook for people to write down memories and story-starters, and leave their contact info so we can keep in touch. I also want to create a shared photo album online where we can upload photos for everyone to share.  

Update 8/30/19: Per the Renaissance Society, the Fall memoir class is cancelled, but it will probably be available again in the Spring semester. I signed up for a half-semester fiction writing seminar beginning at the end of October, per our instructor's recommendation last Spring, but I'm waitlisted.

After 40 Years

I am going back to Jamaica tomorrow for the first time in forty years! I was invited by two of my cousins to come and visit, and since I had already requested this week off from work six months ago, I decided to use it by taking them up on their offer. Forty years ago, we were all teenagers; now, we all have adult children. Mother's cousins were my age, then; now, they are her age: 90s. I think this will be a good visit.

I am also blogging the trip on my other blog, Halona, the Peering Place. You may find photos thers.